A True Friend

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” - John 15:13


We live in an era of social media where people have replaced real relationships and authentic interaction with virtual contacts—Facebook friends, Snapchat and Twitter followers, Instagram likes, the list goes on and on. While these apps do bring a lot of great things, one thing they lack is the value of true friendship.

For many young people, YouTubers and social media influencers are now their “mentors” and the people they regard as really caring about them. But quite often, these YouTubers and social media influencers are just enterprising entrepreneurs who have figured out how to make a profit off giving their digital followers the illusion of friendship, when in fact authentic friendship is about mutual affection, trust, and the ability to be oneself without fear of judgment.

But this collapse of friendship is not just in the lives of the youth; it is also happening with adults. One reason divorce is so high and so many relationships fall apart is that people do not prioritize being friends but instead focus more on making a living than growing close to one another.

Friendship is a two-way street. It must be reciprocated. The Bible gives us multiple examples of what true friendship looks like. John 15 tells us, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Proverbs 17 shows us that, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” Then in Proverbs 27, we see, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”

There is nothing wrong with social media or chasing career aspirations. But don’t mistake what true friendship is and the value it has in your life. The reality is we all need true friends, friends who will stay close and put us before themselves (just as we would for them), friends who love at all times and are there in the midst of our adversity. We need friends who will sharpen us as iron sharpens iron.

YouTubers and social media influencers might provide great value, but so do great friends. Do not overlook the value of those closest to you, for there truly is nothing like a true friend!